ARLINGTON, Texas — Deep in the heart of the Lone Star State, the locals have colorful ways of expressing themselves.

"Hotter than a stolen tamale" or "Hotter than a honeymoon hotel" are typically reserved for front-porch chitchats about the infernal weather.

But those time-honored Texas tidbits provide apt descriptions for the Rockies and their budding star, Nolan Arenado.

The Rockies hit Globe Life Park like a Texas tornado Wednesday night, crushing the Rangers 9-2 as Arenado went 3-for-5 with two doubles and tied the franchise record by hitting in his 27th consecutive game.

"It's pretty cool, pretty cool," Arenado said.

The Rockies, who got a solid, six-inning start from lefty Jorge De La Rosa, beat the Rangers for the third straight game and won for the 16th time in their past 22 games. It's not Rocktober, exactly, but good enough to move Colorado within percentage points of the first-place San Francisco Giants in the National League West.

Arenado wasted no time putting his name next to teammate Michael Cuddyer's in the Rockies' record book. Arenado drilled a 3-1 pitch from Texas right-hander Colby Lewis into left field for a two-run double in the first inning, scoring Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez.

"He left a cutter up a little bit, and I was able to put a good swing on it," Arenado said. "It was a good start for the team."

During his 27-game run, the longest in the majors this season, Arenado is hitting .364 with 11 doubles, four home runs and 19 RBIs.

"I'm trying to stay within myself, trying not to get too big," he said. "I'm not trying to hit the home run, just hit the ball hard. And I'm just going to keep saying that."

Cuddyer, the defending National League batting champion who's on the disabled list with a strained hamstring, set his record at age 34. Arenado is a tender 23.

"Baseball, more than any other sport, relies on confidence," Cuddyer said. "If you have confidence, you have more than half the battle won. Then it's just going out there and playing. He's got that confidence now, not only that he belongs but that he's an up-and-coming star."

Cuddyer is rooting for his record to be broken, but he doesn't have any words of wisdom to pass along.

Colorado Rockies' Nolan Arenado follows through on a double off a pitch from Texas Rangers starting pitcher Colby Lewis in the first inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, May 7, 2014, in Arlington, Texas. The hit, that extended Arenado's hitting streak to 27 games, scored Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez. (Tony Gutierrez, The Associated Press)

"There is no advice you can really give him except, 'Go out and get a hit,' " he said. "I want him to catch Joe DiMaggio."

Right now, everyone on the Rockies is hitting. At one point during Wednesday's game — after he hit a double in the first and a solo homer in the fourth — Gonzalez's .286 average was the lowest in the Rockies' lineup.

Outfielder Drew Stubbs, who began the season as a nonfactor offensively, went 2-for-4 with a double, raising his average to .323.

"We have guys who are getting hot now on top of the guys who have already been rolling," manager Walt Weiss said. "Drew Stubbs is swinging the bat really well and he's kind of jumping on board with the other guys. We just have to ride this wave. It won't last for six months, so we have to ride this wave while it's going good."

Tulo, who is hitting .608 at Coors Field this season, actually cooled off a bit, going 1-for-4, but he still drove in Charlie Blackmon with a sacrifice fly in the Rockies' five-run fourth. Thirty-six games into the season, Tulowitzki is hitting .414.

During their three-game streak over the Rangers, the Rockies have bashed 50 hits and outscored Texas 29-5.

De La Rosa, who won his fourth consecutive start, allowed two runs on three hits, the lone big mistake a two-run homer by Adrian Beltre in the fourth. De La Rosa improved to 4-3 and reduced a once-unsightly ERA down to 4.81. He suffered through a rocky sixth inning, walking three batters, but walked away unscathed when he got Donnie Murphy to ground out to Arenado to squelch the would-be rally.

"It's nice when you get the kind of run support we did," De La Rosa said. "It helps you relax. I think everything is working better for me now."

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